Public and private alliances, as those featured in this article have developed flexible, responsible education and training programs to meet the needs of local business and individuals. These programs help local industry maintain a skilled workforce in order to quickly and efficiently master new technology to keep pace with stiff global competition. There are many options available for advancement and opportunities for development.
Enterprise for Employment and Education
What is the greatest challenge facing business and industry? The ability to recruit and maintain a highly skilled and capable workforce. The Enterprise for Employment and Education exists to address this challenge.
The Enterprise is a public-private partnership dedicated to meeting the current and future workforce needs of Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties. It develops, supports and funds programs to improve the skills and work readiness of youth, adults in transition and current workers throughout the three counties. The Enterprise Board guides and oversees these strategic investments to assure that businesses in the three counties have a skilled workforce and the resources to maintain and develop that workforce.
Recognized as SEDCOR’s 2003 Service Provider of the Year, the Enterprise invests in three types of services:
• A Youth Opportunity System to assure that young workers have the skills to compete in today’s job market.
• WorkSource Oregon Job and Career Centers designed to support businesses and promote employment.
• The Employer Workforce Training Fund to assist companies in their efforts to retrain their current workforce.
The Enterprise has also been designated as the local Workforce Investment Board for the three-county area. This designation indicates the Enterprise’s willingness to conduct planning activities to better align the services of local workforce development entities, including the K-12 system, the college and others. By convening groups of local businesses, the Enterprise has been able to bring additional resources into the community, including the funding for a $4.6 million Gateway Project designed to better support the workforce skills training needs of local manufacturers.
Contact Agnes Balassa at 503 399-2358 or visit www.e3board.info.
Oregon Gateway for Business and Education
To be on the cutting edge Oregon companies need better, faster and newer approaches to workforce training. The Oregon Gateway for Business and Education is industry’s link to assessment and training for effective and efficient employees. The Gateway is a web-based portal (a website) that can help human resources staff, professional development staff, supervisors and individuals find the training they need for themselves and their employees with just a couple of clicks.
Although the portal is available to all of Oregon, it is customized to best meet the needs of businesses in Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties. In addition to news about local companies, conferences, and specialized training opportunities, the website offers access to thousands of online, in-class, credit and non-credit courses and workshops from a variety of vendors. The Gateway provides an extensive array of technology, business and professional development courses, including programs from internationally renowned training organizations. Through the portal, individuals can find everything from Chemeketa Community College classes to on-line simulated manufacturing instruction through Tooling University. Staff can compare training topics, methods of delivery, course length and outcomes without having to send away for course catalogues and other marketing materials.
The site also serves as a means to access customized training through Chemeketa’s TED Center. Planned additions include a location where local companies could share training costs and the addition of a “shopping cart” function to the site, to make check out and payment easier.
The Oregon Gateway for Business and Education is part of a larger “Gateway Project” designed by the Enterprise for Employment and Education in cooperation with Chemeketa Community College, SEDCOR, Oregon Economic and Community Development Department (OECDD), Oregon Manufacturing and Extension Partnership (OMEP) and funded by the Department of Labor.
Contact Fran Billingsley 503-315-4590.
http://oregongateway.trainingmatrix.com
Chemeketa Community College
Training and Economic Development Center
Ursula Dicks credits the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) with helping her store, Unfinished Furniture of Oregon, get its start in the Salem retail market. “The SBDC provided the resources and guidance we needed to start and manage our business,” she said. Opened for 18 months, Ursula says her greatest success is “meeting our customers’ needs.”
The same could be said for the SBDC and its umbrella organization, the Training and Economic Development (TED) Center. The center has been part of the economic, business and workforce landscape since 1986. Hundreds of businesses and thousands of workers have received training and resources through the TED Center. The TED Center also houses Customized Workforce Training and the Small Business Management Program. The center’s services include:
• Workforce training (management, supervisor, technical, language, basic skills)
• Computer training and lab rental
• Certification training
• Business and/or industry training needs assessments
• Training program development and design
• Grant development, management and coordination
A common question is: “Why train?” Today’s businesses and employers can ill afford not to train. Training improves productivity, strengthens basic skills and reduces expensive turnover. The Customized Workforce Training Department customizes management and employee training solutions to fit business needs and delivered at your business by the best in the field.
Another question, “I’m a small businessperson, where do I go for help? The Small Business Development Center has access to local and world-wide resources to help nearly all businesses at all stages of growth, from those exploring entrepreneurship through those The TED Center, serves the entire college district that covers Marion, Polk, most of Yamhill and a small part of Linn County. For example, programs are being delivered on-site at businesses in Dallas, McMinnville, Newberg, Woodburn, and Independence.
Call 503-399-5181 or 503-399-5088 or visit www.BizCenter.org and www.chemeketa.edu/exploring/locations/ted.
New Name, Same Great Services
The Job and Career Centers of the Mid-Willamette Workforce Network have a new name – WorkSource Oregon. You may have seen signs and billboards around town. By adopting the WorkSource Oregon name, these centers have become part of a statewide publicly funded network with a mandate to support businesses and promote employment.
Last year, over 68,000 individuals seeking work connected with WorkSource Oregon Job and Career Centers in Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties to assess their skills, explore careers, and connect with job openings. Services for these job seekers include:
• Job listings, referrals and hiring events
• Resume and application assistance
• Workshops on interviewing, networking and succeeding in the workplace
As well as comprehensive skills assessment and training for those who qualify.
For local businesses, the centers offer:
• Self-service or staff assisted recruitment and job matching online, by fax or by phone
• Reduced federal tax liability, wage reimbursement, tax credits.
• Labor Market information including industry and occupational employment, unemployment statistics, trends analysis, wages, population and other demographic information
• Facilities for recruitment needs
• Unemployment insurance program information, and easy electronic payroll tax reporting
WorkSource Oregon recently introduced iMatchSkills, a computerized job listing service that helps companies create job listings based on the skills they need and individuals to enter their skill sets in addition to their past work history.
Contact Lori Bush 503-399-6983 or Danell Butler 503-378-4846